NYPD Caught On Surveillance Video Using Excessive Force

Volunteer security guard Zlamy Trapper, 24, regrets calling the police about a drunk man who was sleeping in a lounge at Jewish youth center Aliya Institute in Brooklyn. Why? Because Ehad Halevi ended up being beaten and manhandled by at least four officers with another 7 officers showing up at the scene of the crime, and now the surveillance video has been released to the public, according to the NY Daily News.

When Trappler found a young man sleeping in a drunken stupor at the youth center where he works, he thought it would be a good idea to call the police for assistance in removing the individual. What ended up happening next caused Trappler to later say, “I regret making the call. I should have let him sleep. It spiraled out of control.”

Initially, two officers responded to the call. On the video, they are seen talking with Halevi in what appears to be a calm conversation presumably about his need to leave. The mood changes, though, once one of the officers takes out his handcuffs and both of them attempt to restrain him. For several moments, Halevi refuses to give his arms to the officers, and when the male officer seems to tire from the arm charade, the blows begin, with the female officer using pepper spray and a truncheon to try to subdue him.

For more than two minutes, Halevi is pummeled by the two officers, and when a third cop enters the room, he is dragged to the ground. After eight more officers enter the room, the officers are finally able to secure Halevi with the handcuffs.

Watch the beating here:

While Haveli is said to have been charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, trespassing, and harassment, there is one more detail that serves as the icing on the cake: Sara Feiglin, who runs the center, reportedly said that Haveli actually had permission to stay at the center.